Paying three hundred thousand dollars of debt before being ordered out of the house
“He is a Webb,” she replied, her chin lifting slightly. “He understands what is expected of him, even when the path is not entirely straight.”
I nodded, keeping my hands folded in my lap, resisting the urge to check my watch again.
The gray clouds stayed low over Richmond all afternoon, threatening a cold rain that did not quite fall. By three, Marcus was already in the backyard, working near the old oak tree that bordered the neighbor’s fence. He held the bamboo rake, pulling it through the damp, decaying leaves with wide, heavy strokes. I walked down the back steps carrying the blue plastic tarp, the grass cold beneath my shoes.
He stopped when he saw me, leaning his weight against the wooden handle of the rake.
“You should stay inside, Clare,” Marcus said, his gold signet ring catching the dull light as he rotated it. “The wind is picking up, and you have already done enough work for one weekend.”
“The leaves will rot if we leave them on the grass through the winter,” I said, spreading the tarp near his pile.
